The Mountain And The Hound
by aswewalked
Summary: A lovely little tale of brotherly love.
1. Chapter 1

The Mountain and The Hound

Chapter 1

-x-

It is summer when he is born.

The dogs bark loudly, as his mother screams and the child breathes his first. She names the boy Sandor, defender of man. He will do great things, she says. His father laughs, she has said the same of all her children, but he is nevertheless pleased to have another son and holds the babe high in his arms, smiling.

His sister Eleanor is six now, but she climbs upon the bed with ease and snuggles the newborn, smiling with the rest of them at the Keep's newest addition.

Uncertain, a boy of five lingers at the door looking upon the scene with confusion and hesitance. His mother beckons for him, and he walks to her side. His father lifts him up onto the bed to join them, and he looks at the odd, pink creature in front of him. Its eyes open briefly, and he stares into them, gray like his father's and like his own.

"He looks like you, Gregor." His mother coos, softly kissing the tuft of black hair on the babe's little head.

Gregor looks at the creature with disdain and at his mother with confused disbelief and childish disinterest. "I'm not that ugly." He says plainly, and scrambles off the bed, out the door, already bored of the newcomer. He does not know how long this thing will stay, but he hopes it is not long.

-x-

Mother says it isn't fussy for a babe, but Gregor doesn't think so. When it does cry, it is loud and long, wailing like a dying animal.

On some quiet nights, he sees his mother with the tiny thing. She is always smiling and singing to it. It is always at her breast, always in her arms, always on her lap. She never puts it down, not even when Gregor asks to be held. Sandor is hungry, she says, or Sandor is lonely, or Sandor is cold. Gregor thinks that this Sandor should take care of its own problems and give Gregor his mother back. But his mother only laughs when he tells her this, kisses his head, and sends him on his way, telling him he'll understand one day. They will spend time together soon, she promises, but it is a lie and Gregor knows that.

Soon, the babe is old enough to sit up on it's own, and Mother finally sets the plump little thing down on the floor beside her now while she sews in her chair by the fire. Some nights when he has been a good boy and his lessons are going well, he is invited to sit with them, his mother and sister and the babe. She tells them stories sometimes, and sings, but never as she used to. She is tired much of the time now from caring for the babe, too tired for Gregor. Even Eleanor would rather dangle her ribbon in front of the babe's face as if she was playing with a kitten.

Father is the only one that tends to him like before. So Gregor spends most of his time with him and the other men of the keep, watching them train in the yard together, and occasionally joining the younger ones in a game of roughhousing.

Sometimes Father takes him to the village with him, and Gregor gets to play with the children there. But one day, while Father talks to one of the merchant's, Gregor gets into a fight with a boy. He thinks it funny, the way he bends the peasant boy's arm back until he screams and the limb hangs in a strange way, but his father does not laugh at all.

Gregor is not brought to the village for a long time after that.

-x-

The babe learns to crawl soon, and suddenly, he is everywhere. Sometimes Gregor will find him chewing and drooling on his toys like a pup. It makes him angry, and he yells at the pup to stop. It only blinks up at him with those wide gray eyes and squeaks out a laugh, smiling toothlessly at his older brother.

His mother, his sister, and the maids all fuss at him not to yell at little Sandor. That only makes him angrier. Once, he punches Eleanor right in the stomach for scolding him, and she falls right down, crying as he stomps away. His father finds him in the stable, gives him a beating, and it is not spoken of again. But he sees that Mother is frowning when he's brought back inside to apologize. That makes him angry too, for now she is cross with him, and it is all the pup's fault.

Sometimes, when Mother or his sister or a maid is not looking, he reaches out to take the little thing's tiny arm and gives its soft skin a sharp pinch between his finger nails until the babe is wailing and Mother comes running.

"What happened?" Mother always asks, worried, and Gregor only tells her he does not know.

-x-

Gregor has turned six by the time the pup reaches his first nameday. It has begun to walk about on his own two legs, plump and stubby as they are. His steps are clumsy, and he falls right on his rear more times in one day than Gregor can count. Still, Mother and the maids praise the child for being so clever, and Mother spends hours getting him to walk unaided towards her. Gregor does not see the cause for such fuss. He himself had been walking for as long as he could remember, and no one ever gave him such congratulations.

One day, after he finishes his lessons with the Maester, Gregor follows his mother with the babe on her hip to the kitchens. Eleanor has been sick the past few days, and Mother tells the cook to fix her something warm for her aching throat. The kitchen girls, who would coo over Gregor not long ago and give him sweets, surround the pup and pat his little head and stroke his fat cheeks as he grins up at them. Gregor rolls his eyes and pouts as he leans against the wall, looking away. But then, he feels something clutching at his leg and looks down to find his little brother's small arms wrapped around him.

The kitchen girls smile and comment. Oh, how sweet, Sandor really loves his older brother. Gregor frowns. I do not love him back. "Go away, pup." He growls, but Sandor does not let go.

-x-

Everyone says the pup has grown so big for his age, but Mother says Gregor had been bigger at his first nameday than Sandor was now. That makes Gregor happy.

Father says the babe won't be a babe much longer. True enough, he walks more often without falling and in a straighter line now as well. A few words have even started forming on his lips. Again, they all call him clever, but Gregor thinks the babe must be a halfwit. 'Dog' is what he calls everything he sees that happens to have four legs, even the cats, swine, and horses. For Mother, he can only manage 'Ma'. He tries to say his older brother's name too, though every time he does, Gregor glares at him. "It's Gregor, not Gregaw." He corrects each time, but the pup doesn't fix its mistake, only laughs and is oblivious as always.

Sometimes Gregor goes with Mother and Eleanor when they take walks with the pup around the yard. They like to say words, and giggle when the babe points to what they're talking about. Where's Mother or Where's the dog, they ask. And the tiny hands lifts a little finger to show them where it is, and they laugh happily, even when he points to a horse when they ask him the location of a dog. Where's Gregor they sometimes ask, and the pup grins and points, and Gregor looks away scowling. He soon starts declining his mother's offers to join them on these walks, preferring to spend his time with his father and the soldiers.


	2. Chapter 2

The Mountain and The Hound

Chapter 2

-x-

Gregor's seventh nameday comes, and Father says he is big enough now to train in the yard, so he does not see the babe much during the day anymore. That is a blessing from the gods, he decides. The weapon he's given is wooden and heavy, but Gregor is a large for his age, and the weight of the sparring sword feels right in his hands. He's very good, the men soon begin telling him, a natural talent. He studies these men with a newfound curiosity, watching them as they chuckle together, spit into the mud, and give each other hard slaps on the back for a job well done. Gregor starts to do the same as they, and laughs at the jokes he does not yet understand. He thinks he'd rather have all these men for brothers than the one he does have.

One night after supper, Gregor wants to show his mother what a man he has become. So when they are in the sitting room that evening, he uses a word that he often hears the men use. If only Father had been there, as he would have laughed and joked like men do. But it is only Mother and his sister, and the little pup looking at him with those stupid, smiling eyes.

"Gregor, do not speak that way!" Mother scolds him, but she is interrupted. That dumb pup, of all the words he could say, chooses to repeats what Gregor had just said. On purpose, Gregor is certain.

The pup giggles from the end of the table at the wide-eyed stare mother gives him. "Sandor, that is not a nice word." She chides him softly, and then to Gregor with more venom in her tone, "You see what you're teaching him, Gregor? Go to your chambers, young man, until your father can talk with you."

Gregor frowns. A talk with Father is rarely executed with words. More often it is his fists or the sting of a switch that does the talking. But he obeys, stomping up the stairs after he shoots a final glare at his little brother, who still giggles as he walks away.

-x-

Sandor turns two not long after, and Father laughingly says that soon the boy will join them in the practice yard, and that Gregor can teach him all the tricks he has learned. Sandor likes that idea, but Gregor does not. He won't teach the pup any trick other than to play dead. However he likes to wonder how the pup will wail once Gregor beats him in a battle.

His brother is talking better now, in coherent sentences, and he follows Gregor every chance he gets. When Gregor goes to break his fast, Sandor is already up in the kitchen with Mother or a maid. He says goodbye enthusiastically when Gregor leaves for the training yard, and greets him with equal zeal upon his return. Even during his lessons, the pup will wander in if Mother has some words to speak to the maester about. When Gregor growls at him, he growls back, but giggles afterwards as if it is all some great jest.

Gregor wakes up sick one morning. The Maester says it is only a small virus, but Gregor decides he likes being sick. Mother dotes on him like she used to, and the pup is not allowed into the room. Instead, he stands outside the door, crying for his mother's return. But he doesn't mind the weeping so much. These cries are much more pleasurable than the ones the pup wailed as a newborn babe. These cries are sweet and satisfying, full of a sadness Gregor is glad to see in his little brother.

Sometimes, he tells Mother he is sick, even when he isn't. However, he pretends to be sick one day too often. He is found out, and Father beats him for it. Soon he loses Mother's doting even when he is truly sick, and it is replaced by the old nursemaid's cold hands. Gregor snarls and shoves her away.

-x-

When a few months later Winter falls upon them once again, Gregor's mood seems to darken with the sky.

Eleanor doesn't talk to him as much as she used to. But when she does, she tells him she thinks that one day he will be bad. Gregor laughs at this. She is eight now, a year older than him, but still such a stupid girl. After all, he is to become a knight like their father and grandfather. In time, he stops his attempts to talk to her as well. Sometimes, it feels as though they are all strangers.

Some nights, he lies alone in bed and thinks maybe the pup will die in the night. He hopes for it, even prays to the gods for this wish to come true. It would solve all the problems... Eleanor would talk to him again, and Mother would smile at him like she used to. He's been told it is a sin to pray for someone's death, especially his own brother's. However, he also thinks that the boy might very well be a curse from the seven devils, so perhaps the gods won't mind if he wishes for his death.

Yet, Sandor sees not only his third nameday, but his fourth as well, as healthy as any boy could be. He's not just walking now; he runs and he jumps, or at least tries. When he falls, Gregor hopes he will cry, but he doesn't. He pouts for a moment, looking at his skinned-up hands or knees, but then he stands up and runs again, chasing dogs or chickens or piglets in the yard beside the barn.

Instead, Gregor is the one that nearly dies. It is shortly after his ninth nameday that he is thrown from a horse and hits his head on a sharp rock while on a hunting trip with Father. He does not wake for some time after that, and when he does, he wishes he could remember the way Mother had wept for him. But after his mother told him that sweet, little Sandor would not leave his bedside the entire time, Gregor is thankful he'd been asleep. After this incident, the headaches begin.

Gregor starts to think that maybe the gods are cruel, or maybe they do not exist at all. Or maybe they exist for some people, like Sandor, but they do not exist for him.

-x-

The first time he truly hurts the boy is soon after he heals from his injuries.

It is during the evening meal, after Gregor has finished training in the yard. His head is hurting him so badly he nearly wished for his own death now, but the pup yapping incessantly about his deeds of the day, and asking Gregor to many questions. His blabbering only echoes the pain in Gregor's head. So with one sharp, wordless shove, he sends Sandor falling off his chair and straight to the hard wood of the floor.

The boy gasps as he falls face first, and from the floor looks back up at Gregor with surprise and fear and hurt as his wide eyes grow bright with tears. Gregor relishes the look as he watches blood trickle down from the pup's little nose, and commits that face to memory.

Mother is hysterical, wailing perhaps louder than the boy himself, as she scoops him into her arms and give Gregor a slap across the face. It is the first time she has ever struck him.

His head is raging now, and he feels something hot in him pulling to get out, but he obeys when he is told to go to his room. He cries into the pillow that night, hot tears of pain and anger that swells his eyes up. A few hours later, his father comes in to "talk" with him. Gregor doesn't scream, though. Afterward, Father tells him he has broken his brother's nose. But after his father leaves, Gregor smirks to himself and fell asleep easily then.

He is sent away a few weeks later, though not because of his behavior of course. It is because he is a page now for a Lannister knight.


End file.
